D

Geisha

-member-
-member-
Joined
Aug 5, 2004
Messages
2,215
Location
In midnight ruins...
They're coming back to Europe too! ::k::

Saturday, April 21 Wien, Austria
Sunday, April 22 Munich, Germany
Tuesday, April 24 Milano, Italy
Friday, April 27 Marseille, France
Saturday, April 28 Toulouse, France
Sunday, April 29 Barcelona, Spain
Tuesday, May 01 Paris, France
Wednesday, May 02 Amsterdam, Holland
Friday, May 04 Cologne, Germany
Saturday, May 05 Bruxelles, Belgium
Sunday, May 06 Hamburg, Germany
Tuesday, May 08 Helsinki, Finland
Wednesday, May 09 Moscow, Russia

http://www.facebook.com/D.Officialpage/ ... 3787617147
 

shazzer

-member-
-member-
Joined
Sep 2, 2007
Messages
348
Location
in the boonies
I really like D and this time I want to attend their concert but I have to say that I am annoyed by their latest releases. Live only, fc only and their limited mini album which you also could not buy from normal shops like CDJapan wanted to buy it but now the version I wanted (with PV) is sold out (-__-). If they go on like that I am searching another band to support whose CDs aren't that difficult to get.
 

Geisha

-member-
-member-
Joined
Aug 5, 2004
Messages
2,215
Location
In midnight ruins...
All their recent live only/mail order only releases (except for the FC stuff, of course) plus some tour merchandise were available for international order from coolJAPANstore. I prefer CD Japan too, but D seem to have a special agreement with coolJAPAN:

http://www.cooljapanstore.com/default.p ... rers_id=86

Some of the releases were limited editions, so they're out of print now, but if you're planning to go to their concerts, they may well have them on sale there. I got the limited PV edition of Ouka saki some ni keri that's officially out of print at their live in London last year. If not, I have 2 copies of the limited PV edition of Huang di, so you could buy one off me. :)

I was wondering why their latest releases were all live only/mail order only and I think it may have something to do with them leaving their record label. Perhaps their contract didn't expire until the end of the year, so they had to release them as "merchandise"? Their merchandise was always produced by GCR, not by Avex. Or perhaps they're still re-negotiating CD distribution etc since that was all done by Avex for the last couple of years. Or it was an incentive for people to come to their concerts. I heard that bands make most of their money from ticket and merchandise sale and now they're back on their small indie label they need all the money they can get. Whatever, I think they'll go back to selling CDs normally soon. At least they stopped releasing everything in 3 or 4 different versions. 2 versions of every CD is enough, lol.
 

shazzer

-member-
-member-
Joined
Sep 2, 2007
Messages
348
Location
in the boonies
I was just rereading my post and have to say that my English needs to be improved again. Sorry for the grammar/spelling mistakes.

Anyway thanks for your offer. I will check whether D sells the CD at the live in Munich. If not I am sending you a message.

I guess you are right. It most likely is one of those reasons. I also guess the bandmembers do not really have an influence on the way their records are sold. (That is why many bands go back to smaller labels, they earn less money but they have more freedom to do what they want). Maybe they will release the songs later onwards for everybody.

That is true. I always wonder why bands sell a couple of CD types. I doubt that many people buy more than one version. Two are ok. One with DVD, one without, but more than that is rather annoying.

Are you going to one of their concerts? It is a pitty that they will not go to London again. I wanted to go to London and meet my penfriend and maybe some friends who live in GB but now I want to go to the concert in Munich.
 

Geisha

-member-
-member-
Joined
Aug 5, 2004
Messages
2,215
Location
In midnight ruins...
I'm planning to go to Munich too.

Yes, it's a pity they don't come to the UK again but attendance was really poor last year, so I don't blame them. Hopefully in a few years' time when they've built a bit of a fan base (many people don't seem to know them at all, even though they've been around for donkey years; I guess their music isn't the kind of stuff that's fashionable with western VK fans) they can come back.

BTW, I'm sure you noticed but the PV version of Huang di is missing 1 song that's on the non-PV version, Sansuishi. With most other bands I ignore the PV and go for the extra song, but D's PVs are so beautiful I have to buy both, lol.
 

shazzer

-member-
-member-
Joined
Sep 2, 2007
Messages
348
Location
in the boonies
Hey cool. Maybe we see each other there.

I sometimes wonder about the "fame" of VK bands. My Japanese friends do not know Penicillin and one of my friends asked me who the old bloke was whose article I was reading (it was Sugizo from Luna Sea ::meev:: ).

I think it is very difficult for Japanese bands to find a good place for a live. Many fans scream "come to this place" and then they go there and hardly anyone shows up. I can remember the live of Kagrra, there were hardly any people and without effords me and my friends were in the second row of the concert. oO Germany has the advantage that many other countries are close to it, so people from other European countries can come there by train.... In GB that is a bit more difficult.

I have to say that I love VK PVs. (At least the ones in which something happens). They dragged me into liking Japanese music. But I have to say that I am a big movie nerd and studied movies. Whenever I watch a PV I also watch it in an artistic way and wonder how they have done it and how I would do it differently. The only PV of D which I did not like was Day By Day. It was a bit boring (or at least I thought so).
 

Jareth Drakul

-member-
-member-
Joined
Jun 29, 2009
Messages
177
Geisha wrote:
Yes, it's a pity they don't come to the UK again but attendance was really poor last year, so I don't blame them.
I knew quite a few had planned to go to the UK one but the timing was really bad so none of them (myself included) could attend, really wish I could have made it somehow though :/.
 

Geisha

-member-
-member-
Joined
Aug 5, 2004
Messages
2,215
Location
In midnight ruins...
Yes, it would be cool to meet. :)

shazzer wrote:
Many fans scream "come to this place" and then they go there and hardly anyone shows up.
That's so true. Plus, I get the impression that the only VK music that sells in the west nowadays is cute boybands or non-cute alternative rock. People got used to thinking that's how VK should be, so anything that fits that bill gets applauded and anything that doesn't fit gets ignored. The only exception to that I can think of are Versailles, but they basically play western style metal and their concept is simple and easy to understand, even if you don't understand Japanese, so once you get past the costumes it all feels familiar.

I think D lost a lot of their original overseas fans when they moved away from the straight forward rock sound of 2005/2006 and started to experiment with "weird" stuff. At least that's what I keep hearing; people mourning that period. They seem to have left a good impression last year though, so I'm hopeful that people will warm to them over time.

I sometimes wonder about the "fame" of VK bands. My Japanese friends do not know Penicillin and one of my friends asked me who the old bloke was whose article I was reading (it was Sugizo from Luna Sea).
I remember someone recently asking on a Jrock forum who Luna Sea are. ::meev:: I don't actually like them but you should have at least heard of them. ::kisaki::

Jareth Drakul wrote:
I knew quite a few had planned to go to the UK one but the timing was really bad so none of them (myself included) could attend, really wish I could have made it somehow though :/.
Quite a few of the new dates are on weekends, so perhaps you're more lucky this year? :)
 

shazzer

-member-
-member-
Joined
Sep 2, 2007
Messages
348
Location
in the boonies
@ Geisha True. I sometimes wonder whether some fans actually know the songs of the bands they are actually a fan of or whether they just like them because of the looks. I think there are a lot of bands which got /are ignored because of their looks (too normal, not cute). I sometimes get the impression that new Visual Kei bands know that they can make more money because of their looks than their music.

True. Versailles are quite similar to a couple of western bands (especially heavy ones). I guess it is due to the musical influence of the guys. As far as I can remember, they listen to a lot of foreign (non Japanese) bands.

I have to say that I like it when bands are experimenting. I also liked the change of D'espairsRay and most people hated it. If they are still singing (not only scream like a monkey) and make listenable music, why not? D was always a band who developed themselves and I quite enjoyed this.

I have to say that I always thought that Luna Sea was funny. The vocalist is a really odd bloke and has strange facial expressions when he sings (if you can call that singing) and I admit that I only went to the concert because I was down and wanted to watch him in order to have something to laugh. But I have to say that the concert was pretty good and I really enjoyed it. (To my own surprise).

I hope D will confirm their tour dates soon and write down the exact location because I have to ask my company to give me a day off (I work in two companies and teach English to an elderly, so I have to know it a bit in advance). Besides that I want to buy the train ticket and book the room for the concert.
 

Geisha

-member-
-member-
Joined
Aug 5, 2004
Messages
2,215
Location
In midnight ruins...
shazzer wrote:
@ Geisha True. I sometimes wonder whether some fans actually know the songs of the bands they are actually a fan of or whether they just like them because of the looks. I think there are a lot of bands which got /are ignored because of their looks (too normal, not cute). I sometimes get the impression that new Visual Kei bands know that they can make more money because of their looks than their music.
Yeah, there are idiots who will run to any concert as long as the band is Japanese, even though they don't know a single song, but in terms of looks my experience has been quite different. Most of the bands that are popular in the west now, e.g. Dir en grey, D'espairsRay, Girugamesh, Lynch, LM.C, Gazette, An Cafe, Alice Nine, are quite plain looking compared to the 90s and I've noticed a lot of prejudice against old-fashioned dressy bands. Often people won't even try to listen to their music, they write them off as talentless just based on their looks. That includes Versailles, who had very few fans when they first went abroad a couple of years ago, and Moi dix Mois, who are one of the best live bands I've ever seen. And I keep hearing people wanting D to dress down so they're taken more seriously. At the other end of the spectrum you have bands like Golden Bomber, who aren't dressy and are very popular, but who don't even play their own instruments.

I have to say that I like it when bands are experimenting. I also liked the change of D'espairsRay and most people hated it. If they are still singing (not only scream like a monkey) and make listenable music, why not? D was always a band who developed themselves and I quite enjoyed this.
Experimenting has its good and bad sides. Yes, it can be exciting, but on the downside you don't always like the outcome. I was never that much of a D'espairsRay fan, but sadly I haven't liked anything they did after Murder Day. Same with Dir en grey, I hate everything post Vulgar. D was the opposite. They became interesting for me again in 2007/2008 and I love pretty much everything they've done since. I think they've been really courageous with the stuff they've tackled (foreign cultures that must be outside their comfort zone, e.g. medieval and Eastern Europe) and I think they've done really well, but I worry a bit that their next experiment may be something I don't like. ::weepy::

I hope D will confirm their tour dates soon and write down the exact location because I have to ask my company to give me a day off (I work in two companies and teach English to an elderly, so I have to know it a bit in advance). Besides that I want to buy the train ticket and book the room for the concert.
Torpedo just confirmed the dates:

http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?s ... 2583472120
 

shazzer

-member-
-member-
Joined
Sep 2, 2007
Messages
348
Location
in the boonies
I am too greedy to go to a concert of a band I do not know.

True. I sometimes miss the old days, even if the music was a bit strange. I liked the different looks of Key Party bands, Martina Bands..., Plactical Joke guys... Their music and costumes were distinguishable. They were creative. with their outfits and their music. That is what I miss nowadays. They did it for the art sake or because they wanted to be rebellious and not because they wanted a lot of fangirls.

Hm D should dress down? I think they are actually not that visual at all. I like that they dress the way they want to dress. (Even if Tsunehito looks odd most of the time). It is sad that looks sometimes count more than music. If you do not like the way a musician is dressing, do not look at the pictures of the bands and enjoy the music.

True but I would not call bands like Golden Bomber a real band. They rather are entertaining groups with music interludes.

I actually also wanted to name Dir en grey as a bad example but I once did that and some Deg hardcore fans freaked out because of it. Now I wait and see what others say (There are a lot of people saying that fans of old Deg are whiny and annoying) I used to like them a lot but then Kyo decided to scream like a moron instead of using his vocals. I do like some metal but there should be a melody in it.

Oh I am sure that D's further releases will still be nice. I doubt that they start to make bad music. I was worried after they became major but they proved that they won't change their musical direction in a way they do not want it and that they can change their style successfully.

Ah cool thanks. Now I can go to my boss and say that I want a free day on the Monday after the concert.
 

Geisha

-member-
-member-
Joined
Aug 5, 2004
Messages
2,215
Location
In midnight ruins...
shazzer wrote:
Hm D should dress down? I think they are actually not that visual at all. I like that they dress the way they want to dress. (Even if Tsunehito looks odd most of the time). It is sad that looks sometimes count more than music. If you do not like the way a musician is dressing, do not look at the pictures of the bands and enjoy the music.
Yeah, I never understood that prejudice of dressy = no talent. Perhaps some western fans just don't get the concept of VK? ::kisaki:: Though TBH, some VK bands don't seem to get it either.

Not listening to a band because of the way they look is just as retarded as only listening to them because of the way they look. D are very dressy, but not just for the sake of looking good or attracting attention. Yes, their costumes are pretty outrageous, especially Asagi's, but they're always connected to whatever they talk about in their songs (which tends to be pretty deep stuff) so they kind of add an additional, visual dimension to their message. I like that a lot and you certainly can't question their talent.

I actually also wanted to name Dir en grey as a bad example but I once did that and some Deg hardcore fans freaked out because of it. Now I wait and see what others say (There are a lot of people saying that fans of old Deg are whiny and annoying) I used to like them a lot but then Kyo decided to scream like a moron instead of using his vocals. I do like some metal but there should be a melody in it.
Some hardcore fans will freak out at any kind of criticism; whatever Deg do is perfect and if you question it you don't understand their genius. I was never that much into Deg, so I'm certainly not a whiny old fan. I just enjoyed some of their old stuff and I don't like their new stuff because I hate nu metal/metalcore/grindcore/whatever it is they play now, that's all.

BTW, there's a lot of info on tickets, venues etc for D's European and South American tours here:

http://www.rose-relation.com/tour2012/europe.html
 

shazzer

-member-
-member-
Joined
Sep 2, 2007
Messages
348
Location
in the boonies
Thank you for the link. How did you find it?

300 people? Not a lot isn't it? I hope there will be some sort of stairs in the concert hall like in La Loco when Versailles was in there. It was quite handy to stay in the back and see the stage.

So far I ordered my ticket, booked a hotel room and now I have to wait with my train tickets because I need to know whether I get a day off work or not. I still can go to the concert but I would have to go back early in the morning in order to work from 14:00 to 22:30 and I really do not want to do that. ::hora::

Have you started to prepare your trip?
 

Geisha

-member-
-member-
Joined
Aug 5, 2004
Messages
2,215
Location
In midnight ruins...
I found it on Facebook. There's also a FB event for the tour(s) now:

http://www.facebook.com/events/119600048163492/

I'm planning to go to more than one show. So far I looked at what's logistically and financially possible and bought my concert tickets. Still holding out for Vienna though before I book travel and hotels because the date has moved from Saturday to Friday, so now I have to ask for an extra day off work. ::weepy::

Apart from D's official FB, and in absence of D's website having RSS, these fan sites are good for fast and reliable D news:

http://paradoxd.wordpress.com/
http://www.facebook.com/DFANSBLOG
http://www.facebook.com/d.international.fanclub?sk=wall



P.S.: It seems they've sorted out whatever was keeping them from selling CDs through normal shops. Ruiza's new solo CD is up for pre-order at CD Japan:

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=DAKGCR-28
 

shazzer

-member-
-member-
Joined
Sep 2, 2007
Messages
348
Location
in the boonies
^

Thanks for the links.
How are your arrangements going?

I finally bought my train tickets. Still no confirmation on my day off but never mind.

I saw Ruiza's solo CD as well. I guess I will ask my parents whether I will get the CD for my Birthday in April. I liked his first solo. Quite nice.
 

Geisha

-member-
-member-
Joined
Aug 5, 2004
Messages
2,215
Location
In midnight ruins...
Everything is booked, except the live ticket for Vienna which isn't on sale yet. :cool: Message @ D: please guys, don't cancel or change anything! ::weepy::

I'm not sure I'll get Ruiza's CD. I think it's great that he made another solo album, but personally I'm not a fan of guitar instrumentals. I didn't buy his first solo CD and didn't buy Hizaki grace project's last CD either for that reason.
 

boi de memoire

-member-
-member-
Joined
Jan 26, 2006
Messages
1,201
Location
Santiago de Chile
I used to like them a lot, but they became a bit generic and also trying to be heavy and badass which kinda doesn't work for me they way they try it.

EDEN was awesome and the first full album as well (also anything in between), the second I liked but not as much.

While Tsunehito is far superior to Rena in the tech side, I liked Rena better, at least for the older songs.

Also, at first (the re-release with re-recorded tracks of the first album) Tsunehito was to exaggerated for my taste, like he wanted to be noticed too bad, lol.

Still, cool band and all.
 
Back
Top